Photo by Heidi Kennedy
Every week I’ll pose a question for you to share your experiences and tips. If you have a question that you’d like me to post, I’d love to hear from you!
Recently, another Tara asked this question on the Deal Seeking Mom Facebook fan page:
“What’s your position on blinkies & in-store tearpads? Do you think its okay to take a few to use at a later time or another store (for a better deal)? I do this sometimes. My thinking is that they are not store property because they are manufacture coupons.”
She later added that she never takes peelies off one package to use on another but wonders if others do.
What about you? If there is a blinkie or a tearpad with coupons at one store, do you take a few to matchup with a better deal later on? Is there a limit to how many you think is okay to take? Does it matter how many are left? What about peelies? Do you ever take coupons off one product package to use on another?
Join the discussion — add your two cents to previous Ask DSM Readers questions too!
shannon
I never take a peelie from something I am not buying. I feel that is wrong. I think it is ok to take 1 or 2 from a blinkie or tear pad. I would not take a bunch especially if there is only a few left.
Brittany
I would never take a peelie off an item if I wasn’t planning on buying it. If I was going to buy that item and mine didn’t have a peelie on and another did, I would just buy the other item.
As far as tear pads and blinkies, I would take maybe 3 max.
Angel
I don’t think it fair to take them off of packages but I do take extras from the dispensers & pads. Some I pass on to fellow couponers who I know use them. I’ve even had the lady putting up the pad give me an entire stack b/c I told her I swapped coupons w/ others. They want you to use them & expect you to take a few extras that why the expiration date is far off.
Daniel
I completely agree with Shannon and Brittany. Peelies should only be taken off if you are buying that specific item, it’s unfair to the person who intends to buy it if it’s been taken.
Jen
What part of their comments did you not understand? They BOTH said they would NOT take a peelie from an item they were not buying. What’s wrong with grabbing box B that has a peelie if box A is the same darn thing only it doesn’t have a peelie? How is that remotely wrong/unethical?
Jen
Uh oh. I need to apologize. I COMPLETELY misread that statement. I am SO sorry for my tirade.
I just tried for 30 minutes to get Cellfire’s Cinderella coupon with no luck. Sorry. Not fair to take out frustration on you.
kelly
I have taken peelies off other items if the one I wanted didnt have one on. Like the other day I wanted to Hillshire turkey but the ham had the coupon so I took a coupon off to get the turkey. I have also taken coupons off a tear pad to use later. My store hasnt had blinkie machines in a long long time…
Carol K
I agree with the others–coupons put out in batches, it’s OK to take a couple or three (but I never take more than one if it means I would take the last one), but peeling off packages, no.
Deborah
I have taken 2 off a tear pad to use later when I knew of a deal coming from that store at a later date, but never off an item that i wasn’t buying.
Marianne
I would never remove a peelie from a product that I was not purchasing. If the item I am purchasing does not have a peelie but an identical one does, I would buy the one with the peelie on it. Blinkies and tearpads.. I have to say that I have taken these on items I have not purchased on that day but am planning on purchasing in the future and I have taken more than one–never more than 2 .
[email protected]
I agree with Shannon. I would never take a peelie off of a product I wasn’t buying. If I was buying a product with a peelie, and the peelie was good for another product in the store, I would then be fine with taking it off and using it in the store the same day. I also don’t think I would have a problem taking a coupon from one store and using it at another store. I don’t think the coupons from a blinkie or a tear pad are necessarily meant to be used during that store trip. And as long as I’m making purchases at the store anyways, no one is losing out. I wouldn’t spend a day hopping from store to store collecting coupons just to use at other stores. That would be highly inefficient and not worth the time, but taking a coupon here and there and using it at another store to save money is fine in my book. Thanks for bringing up the ethics of “couponing”. I don’t think I ever thought about it before.
elle
I used to work for Smart Source, the company that puts up all those coupons, and take it from me – take as many as you want, we’re just going to throw them out when we come in to “ad change” the store, plus, the less stuff that we had to take down the quicker we could get done. Imagine unscrewing and emptying all of those mechanical coupon machines to throw out the old coupons and then having them spill everywhere..
take as many as you want, your Smart Source employee will love you for it.
and as for the store that hasn’t replaced the blinkie machines… their coupon merchandiser probably recently quit but someone will be in soon to change them and retrain a new employee.
madmommy
Cool! Good to know, because I felt a little weird taking a few if I wasn’t planning to use them right then, or even at that store. I figured, at least I’d be buying the product at some time, which is the whole point, correct? As for the peelies, they stay stuck until I get to the register, at which point I ALWAYS forget to peel them and hand them over! Oh well…
Kristi
I’ll usually take a 2 or 3 of the blinkie or tear pad coupons if there are plenty left and I know I’ll use them at some point. On the peelies, I generally don’t take them off if I’m not buying the product it’s attached to, but I have done it a couple of times if the deal on another item was too good to pass up.
Keri
I wouldn’t take a peelie. Once I was buying Maxwell House coffee and they had coupon books (like $10 value) attached. I had to look through the shelves to find one that the coupons hadn’t been taken from!
I do take blinkies and tearpads – usually not more than 2 or 3 – if I am pretty sure I’ll use them later. While I wouldn’t take the last five, I think its okay to take the last two. I mean someone has to take the last one, right?
Sara
I have tried to use a peelie that was on a certain flavor of popcorn that I didn’t like and it turned out bad…it kept taring! That was my bad experience and I won’t do it again.
As for taking coupons off the tare pad…I would take up to 5 if there are a lot. And I generally shop at the same store, so nobody is missing out. And the experation is so far out that I’m pretty sure that the manufacturer does not necessarily intend for you to use it that day, however, they do want you to try their product and buy it often, which is why they put the coupon there in the first place. I feel no guilt about taking more than one, but generally it’s for a product I would buy…I just rarely ever buy something that isn’t already on sale. So I wait till that item goes on sale and then buy it with the coupons.
Lauren
Tearpads and blinkies are fair game in my mind. I ‘coupon shop’ at a store that I don’t shop a lot at but has lots of blinkies :D
The peelies I don’t take, I don’t think it is fair. I’ve seen cases of piles of boxes ripped from people removing peelies! I will take them for another product in store that can be used with the coupon. It is still in store and still right there, so I don’t have a problem with that.
AC
I often take a few from tear pads for use at a later date. I will admit, although I think it IS wrong to take peelies from an item you’re not buying, I have done it before. But only because I was at one store where I saw the product with them but used them for a deal at another store that I know didn’t have the peelies. I don’t make a habit of it and I do feel guilty when I do it. But I figure I’m buying the product regardless of where I’m buying it and that’s why they put peelies on- It’s an incentive.
sue @ savethecoupons
My biggest pet peeves for couponing is when I pick up a product that once had a peelie, and the peelie is gone. Its just not right…. the peelies are for the purchaser of that specific product to use, not for someone who just want the coupon. I never take peelies off a product that I am not buying!
Tear pads and blinkies are another story, they are put out in bulk for you to take and use whenever and where every you want. thats why the smart source peole in charge of the blinkie machines will give you a stack if you catch them:) One way I make it thru the grocery store with 3 kids and my sanity in tact is by having my kiddos play detective and scout out all the blinkie machines, they are allowed to take 3 of each coupon/ tear pad…unless its a product we dont like or use, then obviously, they leave them. Im fine with taking 3 sometimes even a few more if its close to expiration especially…many times I find tear pads with expired coupons on them too!
Hilary
I will take a few off the tear pads, but I take more then three if I think it’s going to make a good deal sometimes or when I know I used alot of that item. Like the other day there were $1 off 2 cokes at target so I only took 2 coupons but I didn’t buy a soda. I saved it so when I’m broke and want a soda I can get it for cheap. But I’ll never take a peelie off something I’m not buying. Well I might but it would have to be because it’s a crazy deal and I can’t pass it up. That hasn’t happened yet.
Tomoko
I take few blinkies and tearpads but never more than 3..
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Symone
Tear pads/blinkies, I have no problem taking several. And honestly, I don’t think it is “wrong” to take peelies off of products either. A coupon is a coupon. I’m not going to lose any sleep over saving money as I’m sure neither is the manufacturer, as long as your still buying their product. JMHO : )
Kim C
Well, I’ll be the minority here. I HAVE taken peelies from things I wasn’t purchasing that day. I don’t do it often, however I don’t necessarily see anything wrong with it. The way I see it, the majority of people don’t use coupons, and sometimes even when there is a peelie people do not even use it! It ends up in the trash. The manufacturers put them there to be used, and if I’ll use it at a later date and its a GREAT peelie, then I might take it. Trust me, I don’t stand there and peel them off every package, I might take one or two. For instance, I was at a store just grabbing a couple of things, and I noticed that the Nabicso crackers ALL had $1 coupons on them. Every single box of every variety had a $1 off peelie. I grabbed 2 of them. Nabisco crackers were not on sale, so I didn’t buy crackers that day. I don’t really see anything wrong with that. Also, a few months ago Safeway had a great sale involving Kelloggs cereals, and some varieties had $1 off peelies. Even though I wasn’t buying that variety, I used a couple of them because it was for ANY Kelloggs cereal.
Tearpads & blinkies I take a few. I would never take the whole pad or take a bunch, maybe 3 max.
Either way, whether its a peelie or a tearpad/blinkie, I always look at the expiration date and think to myself about whether or not I think I’ll use it by then. If I don’t think I will, I don’t even take one.
Katherine
Kim, I am one of your kind. I DO take peelies (2 is max for me) because 1) There are a lot of people out there who delibrately DO NOT use coupons. I have encountered lots of people who are against couponing either becuase they think the are like welfare (for people who can’t afford to pay full price) or because they think that it hurts the manufacturers in an already down economy. SO…those coupons might go to waste. and 2) It does not affect EITHER the manufacturer OR the store to wait and use the coupon during a sale. The store gets their sale price which is set at a slightly lower profit margin but intended to move product, the manufacturer repays the face value of the coupon, and the consumer can stock up! Everybody wins!
CB
Well, not everybody wins. When the peelie has been taken off of a product that I was going to buy, I don’t win.
Candice S
I take peelies too, although usually only one or two on an item that I know I will buy but am waiting for a sale. I don’t feel bad at all about this at all. I work as a cashier, and I ALWAYS see people buying items with peelies and 90% (I wish that were an exageration) of the people don’t peel them off and they forget to use them. Most people don’t pay attention to the boxes of what they buy, they see it is what they want and they just grab it and throw it in their cart. If the customer is pleasant and friendly I will ask them if they would like to use the coupon, and I will peel it for them, but every day there are tons of peelies that I don’t say anything about and they get wasted. So I don’t mind grabbing one or two because I know there is a high likelyhood that the coupon might not be used otherwise.
Dawn
I don’t take peelies from an item I don’t intend to buy.. but I have taken a few peelies from items to use on the same item at a different store or in the same store at that time.
I look at it this way – the product is being bought and the coupon is being used, which is what has been intended. Many consumers don’t even use the coupon; it gets overlooked or it’s a $/2 and the consumer is only buying 1, so the coupon is then wasted. I can remember before I started couponing, peelies did not matter to me and I rarely bothered to peel the coupon and hand it to the cashier.
I don’t do this often, but I don’t see a problem doing so as long as the coupon is intended to be used soon thereafter.
As for tearpads/blinkies.. I take 1 – 3, depending on what it’s for and sometimes a few more if it’s a valuable coupon to me. I try to be considerate to others, but I think of myself at the same time.
Nina
I agree with the 99% above, no peelies for me. I think it is lousy to take them when they are so obviously attached to the product. Would you tear off the “free” trial item attached? And we forget some of these folks resell and trade these coupons for theor own benefit.
Symone
No, that is STEALING. But taking a piece of paper off a box hardly comes close to stealing.
Emily
Sometimes I peel a peelie to see what the deal is–when it’s not specified on the visible portion. Then I leave it on/near the product if it’s not something I can use.
I don’t often see products with missing peelies, but I know it happens. What really got my goat, though, was the other day when I was shopping for a specific canned veggie item, and the only can of one particular variety had a missing coupon that had been cut out of the can’s paper label.
Ana
Whaat?? Who cuts a coupon off a can?? I would’ve been mad too.
Karen O
I’m in the minority- not only will I take a couple extra tearpads orblinkies for a later sale; but, I will also take a few peelies for later sale. I won’t take them all or even a lot; but, I will take them for products that I use and when I know I will use the Q.
I would NEVER take them to re-sell though and I have even put them back if the terms or exp date made them less desirable to hang onto (sometimes you can’t read them without peeling them)
The exact same store and manufacturer are still getting my purchase- just on a different day when it makes a better deal.
Karen O
p.s. I will only take an extra peelie if I can do so without damaging the packaging. I have no desire to damage merchandise
Jennifer E.
I agree with Symone. No need to stress over or get all irratated that a coupon is missing off of something, some people just take things to serious in life & that just might be one of them..I think people do these things more than they are willing to admit..thats just my opinion…
Symone
Oh, ya, I’m sure most of the women posting here have done it and just don’t want to confess.
Karen
You are just trying to justify what you do by making that comment.
Sharon
Taking more than one blinkie or tearpad is no different than the peelies. Your taking more than one that you don’t plan to purchase at that time so when they run out, SOMEONE who would have bought that product loses out. The physical location of it is just splitting hairs but the results are the same. big deal, it’s a coupon. I’ll live if there are no more blinkies for chocolate chips
nettie
Very well said sharon…
strandedj
I have peeled a peelie off for an item to use later if it is one I regularly use. I also have taken a few extra coupons from a blinkie or pull pad. I only take what I intend to use. I can see where someone might have a problem with a missing peelie but I rationalize it by thinking I have missed out before too.
willnmollysmom
Once, I took a peelie from an item that I knew was going to be on sale the next day. It was the only one left. All of the others on the shelf had been removed from the product. I felt like an absolute heel for doing it even though I did go buy the product later, and I got one that a peelie had been removed from.
I think blinkies and tearpads are there to be used, so I usually take 2 or 3 so that I can share with a couponing friend. One of my local stores is a blinkie gold mine, but the items are on sale more often at another store. I don’t have any problem taking them from one store to use at another.
Ruth
The only time I take more than 2 blinkies is when someone has pulled them out already and laid them on top of the machine. I will take a couple from a tearpad, and rarely take a peelie. On the the rare ocassion that I do, I don’t feel bad about it. Many times I have left a coupon I printed or cut out and left it on the product at the store because I knew I wouldn’t use and at least someone else might get use from it.
Dee Dee
I won’t pull a peelie off an item if I’m not using it then, but if there is a tear pad, I will take 2 max for later use with a BOGO deal. I don’t know why I feel there is a difference, but I do.
Sue Rogers
I definitely will not take off a peelie on a product I do not intend to buy. In my opinion they are there for the person who will be purchasing that product. And yes, that means that some of them will not be used, and I am okay with that. If every couponer only took a few, we would wipe out every product in no time. In my store, the cashiers take them off as you check out, so I would say that most get used. As for tear pads and blinkies, I would feel comfortable taking up to three.